Device For Filling Food Products

ABSTRACT

A device for filling liquid or pasty food products in prefabricated individual containers which form a sealing rim, the device including carrier elements which are run through the device by a drive in a continuous cycle and which include receiving openings for the individual containers; operating stations into whose operating area the carrier elements move during the continuous cycle through the device; at least one operating station configured as a sealing device which fixes a sealing foil on the sealing rim of each individual container using a sealing tool; a web shaped sealing foil spanning the carrier elements transversal to their width measured transversal to their feed direction wherein the sealing foil is run between the sealing rim of the individual containers and a sealing head; a pulley device which is arranged upstream of the sealing device in the feed direction.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from and incorporates by reference German Patent Application DE 10 2016 105 778.9 filed on Mar. 30, 2016 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/332,786 filed on May 6, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for filling liquid to pasty food products in prefabricated individual containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Filling devices of this generic type are known from EP 1 134 182 A1 or EP 2 527 260 A1 also owned by the applicant. Devices of this generic type include a plurality of carrier elements which in turn include a plurality of receiving openings for individual containers. The carrier elements are run in a continuous cycle through an upper main element and a lower main element through the filling device. Thus, the carrier elements are arranged in direct contact with each other at least in a main element which includes the operating stations processing the containers.

This way receiving openings are arranged in this main element in pass through direction behind each other in rows and in columns adjacent to each other transversal to the pass through direction.

The operating stations of the filling device feed individual containers, place the individual containers in receiving openings, perform sterilization of the individual containers and carrier elements, fill the individual container with food products like e.g. yogurt, a beverage or a spreadable fat material etc. Then the individual containers are covered in a sealing station with a sealing foil and closed, optionally subjected to a seal test and subsequently combined into assemblies and packaged. When easily perishable food products like e.g. yogurt are being filled a filling device is typically housed in a sterile portion. Sterile air is blown into this housing so that a positive pressure is created in this location that prevents a penetration of germs through the air.

The essential difference between both known filling and transport devices is the drive mode. In the first known device the cell plates are attached to an endless feed device, typically a chain and are transported by the chain through the device in a revolving manner. The second known device omits the endless drive device since the endless drive device can have considerable disadvantages under particular conditions.

As a matter of principle filling food products requires maintaining stringent hygiene standards wherein the hygiene standards differ from each other depending on the type of product. The instant invention relates in particular to a device for filling food products with a low acid content into individual containers like e.g. filling sauces for meals ready to eat, snacks or finger food. Products of this type are typically very sensitive so that already small germ loads which are not a problem e.g. for products with higher acid content are problematic and lead to a quick spoiling of the food products.

In order to keep the germ load low and in particular to keep the growth of germs below a critical threshold it is known in the art to fill the top portion of the individual containers with an oxygen reduced or oxygen free gas. Typically nitrogen is blown into the head space of the container which replaces the air that is provided after the filling process and thus significantly reduces an oxygen content of the gas mix. For food products with low acid content and oxygen content of below 3% is required in the head space.

An economic viability of the generic filling devices for food products is in particular a function of the containers that are fillable per unit time so that there is a continuous tendency to increase operating speed of the filling devices according to the invention. For quite some time it is typical for different device types to provide 60 operating cycles per minute which, however, can lead to problems in particular for devices that supply the head space with oxygen reduced gas in a housing that is flooded with sterile air. The positive sterile air pressure in combination with high cyclic rates can lead to turbulent air in the sealing station which flushes the oxygen reduced filling gas out of the head space. Therefore the oxygen content in the head space increases beyond permissible values which can cause excessive germ growth and premature spoilage of the food product.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide the filling of the head space with oxygen reduced gas also at high processing speeds of the generic filling devices.

The object is achieved by a device for filling liquid or pasty food products in prefabricated individual containers which form a sealing rim, the device including carrier elements which are run through the device by a drive in a continuous cycle and which include receiving openings for the individual containers; operating stations into whose operating area the carrier elements move during the continuous cycle through the device; at least one operating station configured as a sealing device which fixes a sealing foil on the sealing rim of each individual container using a sealing tool; a web shaped sealing foil spanning the carrier elements transversal to their width measured transversal to their feed direction wherein the sealing foil is run between the sealing rim of the individual containers and a sealing head; a pulley device which is arranged upstream of the sealing device in the feed direction and which transfers the sealing foil into an orientation that is parallel to the feed direction and configured for sealing; a gas exposure device arranged upstream of the sealing device in the feed direction; and at least one sealing foil down holder that is arranged in a portion of the sealing device, wherein the gas exposure device fills an unfilled head portion of the individual containers with an oxygen reduced or oxygen free gas, wherein the sealing foil down holder is oriented parallel to the feed direction, and wherein the sealing foil down holder supports the sealing foil between the sealing foil down holder and the carrier elements at a defined distance from the carrier elements.

Providing the filling device with the sealing foil down holder according to the invention has the advantage that the sealing foil can be supported at a defined distance from a carrier element top side in the portion of the sealing device and thus directly downstream of a filling of the container head space with low oxygen gas, in particular nitrogen. Interference air flows which are caused by the positive sterile air pressure and/or high operating speeds of the device can no longer reach under the sealing foil. As a consequence a penetration of interference air flows in a portion of the individual containers that are arranged under the sealing foil and filled with the food product and the oxygen free gas are reliably prevented. Flushing the low oxygen for oxygen free filling gas out of the head space before the sealing process is not possible anymore.

It is provided that the sealing foil down holder includes at least one rotatably supported wheel along which the sealing foil is run essentially without friction when passing between the down holder and the support element. It is provided in particular that the sealing foil down holder includes plural wheels that are advantageously arranged behind each other,

In particular for the high operating speeds of the filling devices also the web shaped sealing foil is introduced into the sealing device at high speed, The rotating wheels facilitate for the sealing foil to slide along the sealing foil down holder without friction so that wrinkling of the sealing foil caused by tension that would interfere with the sealing process is safely prevented, Thus, arranging plural wheels in feed direction behind one another has the essential advantage to provide the defined gap between the sealing foil and the support element over a long portion in the feed direction.

The sealing foil down holder can be improved significantly when a belt runs continuously about the wheel arrangement and the sealing foil is essentially run without friction along the circumferential belt,

The belt which runs around the wheel arrangement continuously provides on the one hand side frictionless passage of the sealing foil under the sealing foil down holder. Furthermore an even contact pressure between the sealing foil and the down holder is provided along an entire path that is covered by the belt viewed in the feed direction, This improves providing a defined gap between the sealing foil and the carrier element.

It is provided that a respective sealing foil down holder is arranged above each edge portion of the carrier element that is parallel to the feed direction of the carrier elements running through the sealing device.

It is furthermore provided that the sealing tools are enveloped by a frame under which the sealing foil is passed along and which carries the sealing foil down holders.

It is a substantial advantage of this embodiment that supplementing the sealing foil with a frame enveloping the sealing heads does not only provide a simple and cost effective support for the sealing foil down holder, but the frame facilitates to not have to keep the operating portion of the sealing head sterile continuously in particular when the sealing foil protrudes in outward direction. This facilitates using simpler sealing heads which do not have to comply with sterility requirements.

BRIEF DESCRPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the invention can be derived from the subsequent description of an embodiment with reference to drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a device according to the invention in a simplified schematic representation in side view;

FIG. 1A illustrates a sectional view of an individual container filled with a food product;

FIG. 2 illustrates a carrier element;

FIG. 3 illustrates a sealing device of the device according to the invention according to FIG. 1 in a simplified side view;

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified top view of the sealing device according to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a representation according to FIG. 4 with a sterile portion; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a sectional view of the sealing device according to the sectional line A-A in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRPTION OF THE INVENTION

The figures illustrate a device according to the invention that is designated overall with reference numeral 10 and illustrated in FIG. 1 in its entirety. The device includes an upper main element 11 and a lower main element 12 which are connected with each other by two side elements that are arranged at ends and are not illustrated. Carrier elements 13 also designated as cell plates run through the main elements 11 and 12 in a continuous cycle. For propelling the carrier elements a continuously revolving drive chain is used in the illustrated embodiment that is not visible in FIG. 1. Operating stations 14 are arranged above the upper main element 11 in a feed direction V of the upper main element 11 behind each other.

Based on the upper main element starting in FIG. 1 on a right side and terminating on a left side the following are arranged in sequence, a container insertion device 15, a sterilization device 16, a filling device 17 and a sealing device 18. The sealing device 18 is divided into a sealing foil feed 19 and the actual sealing station 21 applying the sealing foil 34 to the individual containers 20.

A carrier element 13 coming in at a beginning of the upper main element 11 moves along the feed direction V through the upper main element 11. It is initially provided with individual containers 20 in the container insertion device 15 and then moves into the sterilization device 16 in order to sterilize the carrier element 13 and the inserted containers 20. During another feed in a direction towards the filling device 17 the carrier element 13 and the inserted individual containers are dried. Then the individual containers 20 are filled in the filling device 17 with a liquid to pasty food product, thus in particular with a mildly acidic food product 22. The unfilled head space 28 of the individual container is flushed with nitrogen in order to reduce the oxygen content to the desired amount of less than 3% and is then moved in the feed direction V to the sealing device 18. In the sealing station 21 the sealing foil is fixed by respective sealing heads above the container opening 23. Thereafter the containers 20 are removed from the carrier element 13 and the carrier element 13 switches at an end of the upper main element 11 through a non-illustrated side element into the lower main element 12. The carrier element 13 runs through the lower main element 12 in a return direction R until it is returned back into the upper main element 11 at an end of the lower main element 12.

FIG, 1A illustrates an individual container 20 in a sectional view. The container 20 is a so called individual container which is delivered prefabricated and retrieved from a stash for insertion into the carrier elements 13. The individual containers 20 inserted into the device according to the invention are thus different from deep drawn containers which are also typically used for filling with food products. The deep drawn containers, however, are formed directly before the filling process and only separated from each other after sealing the containers.

The container type that is being used causes significant differences with respect to the filling process. In deep drawn containers the carrier elements 13 are completely covered by the deep drawing foil whereas a carrier element surface is directly accessibly through intermediary spaces between the individual containers 20 when individual containers are used. Consequently when using individual containers a need for carrier element sterilization does not arise to the same extent.

Individual containers are increasingly used in high value products in order to provide the quality food product 22 with an appropriate packaging,

The individual container 20 illustrated in FIG. 1A is filled with a food product 22 and forms a circumferential support rim 24 in a portion of the container opening 23. A bottom side 25 of the support rim serves as a contact surface on the carrier element 13 in order to prevent slippage through the receiving opening 26. The top side 27 of the support rim 24 forms a contact surface between the container 20 and a sealing foil. Thus the support rim 24 is also used as a sealing rim and is subsequently designated as sealing rim 24,

Above the food product 22 and up to the support rim 24 or for a closed container 20 up to the sealing foil there is a so called head space 28 of the container 20 which is filled with a gas as a matter of principle. In particular for only slightly acidic easily perishable food products nitrogen is typically injected at this location in order to minimize oxygen content.

FIG. 2 illustrates a carrier element 13 which forms receiving openings 26 which are partially filled with individual containers 20 for illustration purposes, Receiving openings 26 form containers rows 29 oriented in the feed direction V and container columns 30 that are arranged adjacent to each other parallel to the feed direction. As can be derived from FIG. 2 the containers 20 are inserted in to the receiving openings 26, wherein the support rim 24 of the containers contacts a top side 31 of the carrier element 13. The support rim 24 of each container 20 thus covers a surface portion of the top side 31.

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified top view of the sealing station 21. The carrier elements 13 that are loaded in this embodiment with a containers 20 that are filled with a food product 22 and not illustrated run through the sealing station 21 in the feed direction V. The sealing station 21 includes a plurality of sealing heads 32 wherein exactly one sealing head 32 is associated with each receiving opening 23 of a carrier element 13 arranged in the sealing station 21. In FIG. 4 a portion of the sealing heads is not illustrated for reasons of clarity,

The sealing heads 32 are arranged in an operating portion above the sealing foil 34 that is not illustrated in FIG, 4 wherein the operating portion is enveloped by a frame 36. The web shaped sealing foil 34 itself is fed in the feed direction V upstream of the sealing heads of the sealing station 21 and spans the carrier elements 13 completely in a width measured transversal to the feed direction V.

FIG. 3 now illustrates a simplified side view of the sealing device 21 also designated as sealing station. Carrier elements 13 whose receiving openings 26 are filled with individual containers 20 are moved in the feed direction V through the sealing station 21. The sealing station 21 includes sealing heads 32 which are vertically movable up and down through an actuation linkage 33.

In the feed direction V the sealing station 21 is fed with the web shaped sealing foil 34 directly in front of the sealing heads 32 through a pulley 35. The pulley 35 provides the pulled out sealing foil 34 with an orientation that is parallel to a top side of the carrier element wherein the sealing foil is pulled out of a storage device that is arranged above one of the carrier elements 13 and not illustrated, The sealing foil 34 is then run along between the carrier element 13 or the sealing rim 24 of the containers 20 and the sealing heads.

At a frame 36 which envelops the operating portion of the sealing heads 32 arranged above the sealing foil 34 the sealing foil down holder 37 according to the invention is arranged. The sealing foil down holder 37 includes plural wheels 38, 40 that are arranged behind each other in the feed direction V and about which a belt 39 is run continuously. The wheels 38 have an identical diameter and are arranged behind each other in the feed direction V. A wheel 40 that is arranged in front of the wheels 38 in the feed direction V and which has a much smaller diameter closes the free space between the first wheel 38 in the feed direction D and the pulley device 35. The belt 39 is also run about this leading wheel 40. The wheels 38 and 40 are rotatably supported at the frame 36 so that a circumferential movement of the belt 39 is facilitated.

The sealing foil down holder 37 is oriented parallel to the feed direction. The sealing foil runs along the belt 39 and is run by the belt at a constant distance above the carrier element 13. The sealing foil down holder 37 is adjustable in the vertical direction so that the spacing gap between the sealing foil 34 and the carrier element 13 is adaptable.

The sealing foil down holder 37 facilitates reducing the gap dimension between the sealing foil 34 and the carrier element 13 to a technical minimum dimension which facilitates an unimpeded passage of the sealing foil 34. Due to the circumferential belt almost frictionless running of sealing foil 34 at the sealing foil down holder 37 is provided so that wrinkles in the sealing foil 34 impeding the sealing process are prevented.

The defined gap dimension between the sealing foil 34 and the carrier element 13 that is minimized by the sealing foil down holder 37 effectively prevents a penetration of air flow into the portion between the sealing foil 34 and the carrier element 13. This provides that nitrogen minimizing an oxygen content in the head space 28 of the container 20 is not flushed out by an interference air flow. This way it is assured that the food product 22 does not spoil prematurely.

In the device 10 according to the invention two sealing foil down holders 37 are being used. The sealing foil down holders are attached to the frame 35 that is illustrated in FIG. 4. The frame arms that are parallel to the feed direction are used for attachment purposes. Thus, each down holder 37 is associated with a feed direction parallel edge portion of a support element 13 respectively running through the sealing device 18.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 another advantage of the device 10 according to the invention is described. FIG. 5 essentially corresponds to the illustration according to FIG. 4. FIG. 5, however, is supplemented by a hatching which represents the sterile portion 41 of the device 10 in the sealing station 21. As a matter of principle it is required that the sterile portion of a generic device 10 extends from the sterilization device 16 to the sealing device 18, more precisely speaking until behind the sealing station 21, since only after sealing the containers 20 a penetration of germs or other contaminations in the filled containers 20 is prevented.

The frame 36 which includes the operating portion of the sealing heads 32 facilitates in combination with the sealing foil 34 which spans an entire width of the carrier elements 13 to pull the boundary between the sterile portion 41 and the non-sterile portion into the operating range of the sealing heads 32. On a side of the frame 36 in the hatched sterile portion 41 a flushing with sterile air is performed so that a positive pressure is provided which displaces any interfering air. The sealing foil 34 covers the carrier elements 13 with the containers 20 included therein and also extends into the portions outside of the frame 36. This way it is assured that the containers 20 that are filled with the product are safely covered below the sealing head and no germs provided in the operating portion of the sealing head 32 can penetrate into the sterile portion due to the positive sterile air pressure provided at a side of the frame.

This pulling of the sterile portion boundary into the operating portion of the sealing heads 32 allows omitting the complex adaptation of the sealing heads 32 to the sterility requirements without neglecting food product safety. Thus, complexity of the device 10 in the portion of the sealing device 18 is substantially reduced by a simple measure.

The invention initially shows advantageously how a device 10 can be effectively improved in the portion of the sealing device 18 using a sealing foil down holder 37. The sealing foil down holder 37 provides defined and minimized gap dimensions between the sealing foil 34 and the carrier element 13. Thus, a penetration of sterile air flows into the sealing portion is effectively prevented. Consequently a flushing of oxygen minimized gas, in particular nitrogen that is put into the head space 28 of the containers 20 directly in front of the sealing station 21 is effectively prevented. Shelf life of the filled food products 22 is thus assured. Using a frame 36 enveloping the operating portion of the sealing heads 32 which according to the described embodiment carries the sealing foil down holder 37 furthermore has the advantage that the sterile portion can be run around the operating portion of the sealing heads 32 so that a complex adaptation of the sealing heads 32 to sterility requirements is not necessary.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

10 device

11 upper main element

12 lower main element

13 carrier element / cell plate

14 operating station

15 container insert device

16 sterilization device

17 filling device

18 sealing device

19 sealing foil feed

20 individual container/individual cup

21 sealing station

22 food product

23 container opening

24 support rim/sealing rim

25 bottom side of 24

26 receiving opening

27 top side of 24

28 head space of 20

29 rows

30 column

31 top side of 13

32 sealing head

33 actuation rod

34 sealing foil

35 pulley device

36 frame

37 sealing foil down holder

38 wheel of 37

39 belt

40 wheel

41 hatching/terile portion of 21

R return direction

V feed direction 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for filling liquid or pasty food products in prefabricated individual containers which form a sealing rim, the device comprising carrier elements which are run through the device by a drive in a continuous cycle and which include receiving openings for the individual containers; operating stations into whose operating area the carrier elements move during the continuous cycle through the device; at least one operating station configured as a sealing device which fixes a sealing foil on the sealing rim of each individual container using a sealing tool; a web shaped sealing foil spanning the carrier elements transversal to their width measured transversal to their feed direction wherein the sealing foil is run between the sealing rim of the individual containers and a sealing head; a pulley device which is arranged upstream of the sealing device in the feed direction and which transfers the sealing foil into an orientation that is parallel to the feed direction and configured for sealing; a gas exposure device arranged upstream of the sealing device in the feed direction; and at least one sealing foil down holder that is arranged in a portion of the sealing device, wherein the gas exposure device fills an unfilled head portion of the individual containers with an oxygen reduced or oxygen free gas, wherein the sealing foil down holder is oriented parallel to the feed direction, and wherein the sealing foil down holder supports the sealing foil between the sealing foil down holder and the carrier elements at a defined distance from the carrier elements.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing foil down holder includes at least one rotatably supported wheel, wherein the sealing foil is essentially supported without friction at the rotatably supported wheel when the sealing foil runs between the sealing foil down holder and the carrier elements.
 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the sealing foil down holder includes plural wheels that are arranged in the feed direction behind each other.
 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein a belt runs continuously about the wheel assembly and the sealing foil is run along the continuously running belt essentially without friction.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein a respective sealing foil down holder is arranged above each edge portion of the carrier elements running through the sealing device, and wherein the edge portion is parallel to the feed direction.
 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein a sealing tools are enveloped by a frame below which the sealing foil is run and which supports the sealing foil down holders. 